When Everything Changes
by Frost1610
Summary: Walt and Vic have a fight and the fallout changes everything


This is set in season three, during/immediately after the episode "Reports of My Death." Vic and Branch have returned from their little excursion into the wilderness/wild goose chase looking for David Ridges. This is obviously AU and assumes that Sean is already out of the picture. I spent six _entire_ seasons waiting to get what I wanted. This is where my brain went while that was happening. It's a one-shot, because honestly, are you really looking for plot here? Not beta'd, mistakes are all me.

"Vic!" He yelled from his office.

Vic rolled her eyes as she dropped her pen and pushed away from her desk. She was the only other person there. Was it really necessary for him to yell? Couldn't he just walk out to her desk to yell at her for whatever she'd done this time? She pushed herself up and out of the chair, which seemed to require far more effort than it should have. Branch's antics and Walt's propensity for dragging her all over the damn countryside were starting to wear on her.

Walt was just about to yell for her again when Vic appeared in his doorway with one eyebrow cocked, the way she always did when she was annoyed with him. "What the hell were you thinking?" He demanded.

"Excuse me?" She asked, genuinely confused.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He repeated, slower this time, as if that would clear it up for her.

"You're gonna have to be a little more specific if you want me to dignify that with an answer, Walt." She sighed.

"With Branch. Going out in the woods with him? Alone? After everything that's happened lately?" His irritation was evident, though Vic couldn't figure out why that, out of all the questionable decisions she'd apparently made lately, was the one he seemed to be stuck on in this moment.

She rolled her eyes again, knowing full well he could see her this time. She thought, momentarily, that she should probably learn to check that habit. Nothing good had ever come of it. But she'd had enough of his possessive bullshit and it just seemed appropriate. For someone who spent so much time making the boundaries of their relationship crystal clear, he sure seemed to have a problem with…well, just about any decision she made lately.

"Oh, that." She spat. "Well, mostly I was thinkin' maybe someone should keep an eye on him. Stop him from abductin' anymore law-abiding citizens on the Rez."

"And you didn't stop to consider that you might be putting yourself at risk?"

She almost laughed out loud. It was almost as if he cared about her wellbeing. And really, what part of this job wasn't risky? "Are we done here?" She asked, "Because I figure there's a whole bar full of bad decisions I could be making right now rather than being scolded like a child for doin' my goddamn job."

Walt flinched. She'd obviously hit him where it hurt and that, at least, gave her a little bit of satisfaction. She'd long suspected he interest might not be one-sided. Not that he would ever admit to having any feelings for her that were anything less than professional.

She was deliberately antagonizing him now. For someone who acted like she barely existed most days, he managed to spend a whole lot of time dragging her around with him so he could keep an eye on her. The reality was that she knew that what she was doing wasn't fair. There had been a lot going on—the Detective Fales thing, the Henry thing, the Branch and David Ridges thing, and the list went on. But right then, in that moment, she was angry. What right did he have to act like she belonged to him?

When he spoke again, it was softer, more measured. "He's erratic, Vic. He's not thinking straight and the last thing the department needs is another deputy wrapped up in this mess."

And there was the truth of it. He was concerned about being short another deputy. The department couldn't afford it. It was barely perceptible, but she nodded before she turned to walk out of the office. With her back turned she mumbled, "Like you even care."

Vic didn't even make it the five steps it should have taken her to escape before he was pinning her to the wall next to the door. _Well that's new,_ she thought.

"What did you say?" He growled.

She moved to get around him, but he was just fast enough to thwart her attempts. "You obviously heard me." She was defiant.

He didn't move. "Walt…" she warned as she tried to move around him.

Walt pinned her arms to the wall behind her and leaned in, "is that what you really think, Vic? That I don't care?" He didn't bother to wait for an answer before closing the remaining distance.

Vic's brain short-circuited. She was supposed to be angry. Or at least she thought she was supposed to be. And now she was angry that her body wouldn't cooperate. It didn't matter that she wanted to hit him and kick him and push him away and tell him to just leave her the hell alone. Apparently something in her wanted to kiss him so much more than it wanted to tell him had no right.

So she kissed him back.

Walt tentatively loosened his grip on her wrists. Admittedly, he was a little surprised when her hands shot out to grab handfuls of his shirt and pull him closer. If he were being honest, he would have expected her to punch him or push him away before she would have pulled him closer.

He opened up to her and their tongues slid together sending a white-hot bolt of need through both of them. Despite a sense of urgency, it was a gentle exploration; each of them revealing pieces of themselves they'd carefully hidden away until now.

Vic let go of his shirt and let her hands wander over his chest and stomach before settling at his hips. Without much thought, Walt grabbed her right hand and drug it, palm down, over his now painfully obvious erection. She gasped a little at the revelation.

"Still think I don't care?" She felt the whispered question more than she heard the words. He kissed the spot behind her ear before gently nipping at her earlobe. She nearly passed out then and there. She'd be damned if any other man had ever been able to elicit that kind of reaction from her.

Once she remembered she was supposed to breathe, Vic looked up and caught his gaze and held it as she silently dared him to do something…anything. His eyes held a different kind of intensity. It was something she'd only caught glimpses of over the last few years. And she could never be totally sure it was directed at her. Now she had the proof, literally, in her hand.

For a moment they were at a stalemate. Neither willing to look away for fear that the moment would evaporate. Finally Walt moved. He let go of her hand and went for the buttons on her shirt, pushing them through the holes as quickly as he could. Vic grabbed either side of his shirt and pulled, popping the snaps all at once. She gently pushed him backward, guiding him to sit at the edge of his desk. She tugged at his belt, unbuckling it in one swift movement. He kissed her again as she worked the button-fly of his 501s. Walt grabbed handfuls of her tank top, rucking it up to get at the skin beneath. She popped the last button on his fly just as the phone began to ring.

The two sprung apart like a pair of teenagers that'd been busted by their parents. Walt grabbed for the phone, nearly knocking the whole thing off the desk in the process. "Absar….uhhh…" he tripped over the words, "Absaroka County, uh, this is uh…" he shook his head as if he were trying to clear it out.

Vic watched as he listened to the person on the other end. She could hear bits and pieces and Walt's "yeahs" and "uh huhs." When it became clear that this conversation wasn't going to be over any time soon, she smoothed her tank top down and buttoned the buttons he'd managed to undo. She moved on to his shirt next, snapping from the top down before sliding the buttons on his jeans through their holes and buckling his belt. She turned to go back out to the main office and grab her stuff, assuming they'd be leaving to settle whatever dispute Bill Wilson was having his brother this time. Before she could step away, Walt grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him. Vic turned back to him and leaned her forehead against his chest.

"Yeah, Bill." Walt sighed, clearly annoyed. "Well if it's not urgent, I can send the Ferg out in the morning."

His fingers stroked lightly against her spine causing her to shiver.

"Yeah…no…I know. This has been going on awhile, yeah? Why don't you let me send the Ferg out in the morning? You know Jim has always had a soft spot for him."

Walt shifted his weight impatiently.

"Yeah, Bill. First thing in the morning…Okay…Yeah, thanks."

He sighed and dropped the phone back into the cradle before wrapping his arms around Vic. They stood that way for a while, neither willing to break the spell.

Walt broke the silence. "Come home with me," he whispered.

Vic looked up at him, "yeah?"

"Yeah," he smiled.

She pulled away to go back out to her desk and grab her jacket and phone. She set the phone to forward to Ferg, who was on call this weekend, before hitting the lights and plunging the main office into darkness. She stepped back into his office only to find that Walt remained in the spot she'd left him.

"Ready?" He asked.

Vic nodded, not trusting her voice.

The ride to the cabin was mostly quiet except for Walt's brief explanation of the Wilson brothers' ongoing feud. About halfway there, Vic started to regret her decision to ride out with Walt. What if they got there and he changed his mind? Or what if it sucked? Oh who was she kidding, there was no way it was going to suck. But what if it was awkward? What if he got weird on her? Then she'd be forced to ride the whole way back into town with him in an uncomfortable silence. She was so lost in her thoughts; she didn't even realize they'd pulled up to the cabin.

"Vic?" he asked softly, "Everything okay?"

"What? Yeah. Just thinking is all." She smiled that wicked smile she got when she was about to be a smartass "I do that sometimes before I talk."

Walt fought the urge to roll his eyes and just chuckled. "I have to go out and take care of the horse, but you're welcome to head inside."

He didn't wait for a response before heading out to the small stable. He'd spent nearly the entire ride trying not to talk himself out of this. What if she was disappointed? He wasn't exactly young anymore. What if he couldn't give her what she wanted or needed? In the end, he decided that Vic wouldn't be there unless she wanted to be. She wasn't exactly known for her placating nature.

When he'd finished with the horse, Walt headed up toward the cabin until he noticed she was still standing in front of the Bronco. He changed course and walked back toward the Bronco instead.

"You could have gone inside," he reminded gently.

Vic shrugged, "I like watching you."

Walt felt the heat creep up his face until the tips of his ears were burning. Why was it that the simplest of revelations from this woman had him so flustered? Unable to come up with anything witty, he leaned into her space, gently capturing her lips. Vic responded without hesitation, tilting her head to get a better angle. Seconds later he had her pushed up against the cattle catcher on the Bronco, which was less than comfortable, but she certainly wasn't going to complain.

"If we don't go inside now, I don't think we're going to make it in there at all." Vic warned.

She felt Walt smile against her lips; and her stomach flip-flopped in response. Vic wasn't sure she'd ever get used to having the ability to elicit a smile from Walt Longmire. Reluctantly, he pulled away and took her hand to lead her up to the cabin.

They'd no sooner made it in the door than he had her pressed up against it. He slid his hand up behind her head to keep from smacking it into the door. He started behind her ear and slowly kissed a trail down her neck and shoulder as he undid the buttons of her duty shirt once more. When her brain finally caught up with her body, Vic smoothed her hands over Walt's chest before pulling his shirt apart for he second time that night. She then slid her hands over his bare abs and chest and up over his shoulders to push the shirt off. Walt did the same for her, briefly pulling Vic away from the door to push her duty shirt off. He rucked up the tank top she wore underneath in a mad search for skin.

Vic's fingers teased along the edge of his jeans causing him to gasp softly. Her fingers made their way to the front and she had his belt unbuckled before he could even blink. Before working the buttons, she ran the back of her hand over the obvious ridge in his jeans. Walt let out an involuntary groan that she swallowed as she claimed his mouth once again. Vic turned her hand over and ran a cupped hand over his erection as he pushed into her. Walt was pretty sure that if she kept this up the show would be over before they even made it to the main event.

Walt wound his fingers around her two front belt loops and pulled her away from the door. As he walked her toward the bedroom he managed to unclasp her belt and pop the top button on her jeans. They each toed off their boots as they made their way to the bedroom, laughing as they tripped over themselves. Vic felt the edge of the bed behind her knees and let herself fall backward.

Walt followed eagerly and pushed her tank top up and exposed more skin for him to kiss. Vic lifted up a little and pull the tank top over her head and his hands reached around to unhook her bra and dispose of it as well. When she laid back she hooked an arm around his neck and pulled him back down to her. Her hands roamed over every inch of bare skin she could reach as Walt ground down on her providing just the right amount of friction, right where she needed it. Frantically, she pushed at his jeans. Walt took the hint and let up just enough for Vic to push them off his hips. He kicked his jeans off as he slid down her body to pull her jeans off too.

On his way back up, he started a trail of kisses at her hip and moved up her stomach. He stopped when he made it to her breast and he sucked gently at the skin just under her nipple before taking the pert bud into his mouth. Vic bucked against him and pulled, not so gently, at his hair. Walt smiled against her skin before moving his attention to the other breast.

"Walt." It came out far breathier than she'd intended.

He chuckled softly against her skin. The vibration only served to make the experience even more intense.

"Walt!" It was more of a whine this time.

Walt finally gave in and moved further up her body. He made it up to her collarbones before Vic's patience finally wore out. She squirmed against him as she dragged his face up to hers so she could capture his lips again. Walt's fingers gently brushed hair out of her eyes and then over her cheek as he lined up to her. He drug two fingers gently through her wetness, as if there were any doubt she wasn't ready for him. He swallowed her moan as he kissed her once more before he lifted his head just a little to catch her gaze. He let out a low groan as he gently slid home. Walt leaned down again and planted a kiss just at the corner of her mouth as he slowly thrust in and out.

For her part, Vic was uncharacteristically quiet except for the breathy sounds that escaped each time he pushed in. She thought she'd want him harder. Faster. At least that first time. They'd been doing this little dance for months. She expected that the first time would be hot, hard, and fast. But that slow and steady pace he insisted on proved to be so much more intense. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to her so they were chest to chest. She lost herself in the sensations that were overtaking her. It was the feeling of his skin against hers, the sensation of him filling a place in her she didn't know was empty as he stroked in and out. Eventually it all became too much and she cried out as she tipped over the edge, taking him with her.

Walt pressed into her a few more times as he rode out his own aftershocks. He kissed her again, but it was different this time—less frantic. It felt like he was pouring out his soul and Vic matched his intensity. Both of them laid out all the things they'd wanted to say for months.

When his arms started to shake with the effort of holding himself up, Walt rolled to the side. He reached out and pulled Vic with him. She fit perfectly into his embrace, like they were made for each other.

"Everything just changed, didn't it?" Vic whispered into his neck as she kissed him.

"Yup." Walt replied.

"But it's gonna be okay?" She didn't mean for it to come out as a question.

He kissed her softly before he pulled away a little bit so he could see her face, "it'll be fine, Vic."


End file.
